What do you do when all hell breaks loose around you? You pray in the Spirit.

What do you do when circumstances, events and relationships become a consuming fire of disappointment? You pray in the Spirit.

What do you do when you have lost your way in the wilderness of life? You pray in the Spirit.

What do you do when there are no words that describe your pain human? You pray in the Spirit.

What do you do when you don't know what the will of God is? You pray in the Spirit.

" Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:26-27).

My husband I recently have been going through a very difficult situation with a family member whom we love dearly. It has been heartbreaking for both of us to walk through this valley that was so unexpected. As I was sharing the emotional devastation of my pain with a friend, she reminded me of the power of praying in the Spirit.

"Carol," this wise friend said, "I don't know how to pray for this person whom you love so dearly, but the Holy Spirit knows how to pray, so let's just spend some time together praying in tongues."

Related Articles

"Pray in the Spirit always with all kinds of prayer and supplication. To that end be alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Eph. 6:18).

Since praying in the Spirit, my particular situation hasn't changed yet, even though I believe that it will. However, I have changed. I have a greater measure of peace and of hope concerning this difficult road we are traveling. I have experienced a power surge in my spirit that has healed my weakened state. Rather than praying with my human understanding, I have determined that I will pray in the Spirit and allow the winds of God to blow across me and across this challenging life circumstance.

Let me explain it to you this way: If I were invited to have a meeting in the throne room with the king of a foreign country, I would certainly either learn the language of that country or I would bring with me the very best interpreter I could find. The same principle follows when we enter the throne room of our Father God. There is a language that is particular to His eternal kingdom. The native tongue of the kingdom of heaven is the language of the Holy Spirit. I can speak this language because I am filled with the Holy Spirit; I can also allow the Holy Spirit to interpret for me.

It's true that the Father understands us and responds when we come to Him praying with our own understanding, but we should never ignore the power that enters a situation when we choose to pray in the Spirit.

"For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding" (1 Cor. 14:14-15).

How wonderful to know that we serve a God who is listening to our desperate prayers. How comforting to realize that God hears us when we reach out to Him in prayers of any kind. How powerful to understand that when we pray in the Spirit, we are choosing to align our hearts and our minds with the kingdom of heaven!

Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. She has written 10 books, including The Rooms of a Woman's Heart; Defiant Joy!; Holy Estrogen!; No More Ordinary; Refined; Joy For All Seasons; Let There Be Joy!; Pass the Joy, Please!; Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue; and Stormproof, which releases on March 1, 2019. Her teaching DVD, The Rooms of a Woman's Heart, won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming. You can also listen to Carol's "Jolt of Joy" program daily on the Charisma Podcast Network. Connect with Carol or inquire about her speaking to your group at carolmcleodministries.com.

Help Charisma stay strong for years to come as we report on life in the Spirit. Become an integral part of Charisma’s work by joining Charisma Media Partners. Click here to keep us strong!

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. Enroll in the FREE Mini-Course to experience Dr. Rutland's training for yourself and then enroll for the full training that will change your life and ministry.

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

NICL Training offered in FL, TX and GA - Learn everything you wish someone had taught you about business and ministry before you finished seminary. Gain the knowledge that will help propel your life and ministry to the next level as you implement practical lessons from Dr. Rutland's training. Training Dates and Details.

The NICL Online is a brand new option for those church and ministry leaders who cannot attend the in-person training. Now, you can receive all 60-hours of Dr. Rutland's training from the comfort of your home or ministry for a full year. Learn more about NICL Online.

Your Turn

Please be considerate and respectful of your fellow posters. If Jesus and your mother would not approve of your writing, you should revise your comment before submitting.

Use standard writing style and punctuation. Complete sentences and proper grammar will help others understand you.

Do not use profanity, obscenities, abusive language or otherwise objectionable content (as determined by Charisma Media moderators, in their sole discretion). Comments should not harass, abuse or threaten another's personal safety or property, make false statements, defame or impersonate someone else.

Do not question others' faith just because you disagree with them. It adds nothing to the discussion and only causes strife.

Do not question why someone comes to this website just because they disagree with you or the content of the article.

Do not post personal information including phone numbers, email or mailing addresses, or credit card information belonging to you or others.

Do not include copyrighted content or other intellectual property that you do not own or have the explicit rights or lisenses to distribute.

Do not post, directly or through links, viruses, misleading, malicious or off-topic content.

Do not use our comments section to advertise your website(s). This includes fequently linking to your site at the end your comments.

We reserve the right to deny commenting privileges of anyone for any period of time for any reason.

Please consider the following statements pertaining to comments posted by you and other visitors to our website:

Appearance of comments, advertisements or hyperlinks made by other commenters on this site do not necessarily indicate or constitute acceptance of or endorsement of the products, companies, corporations, ministries, organizations or agencies in whole or in part by staff members and/or the members of the editorial board of Charisma Media.

Comments are not pre-screened before they post. Charisma Media reserves the right to modify or remove any comment that does not comply with the above guidelines and to deny access of your Disqus account to make additional comments to the website without any notice. If you have been denied access to comment due to a violation of these terms please do not create multiple accounts in an attempt to circumvent the system. The correct course of action is to request a review of your account status by contacting webmaster@charismamedia.com.

Charisma Media is not responsible or liable in any way for comments posted by its users.

If you believe a comment is in violation of the above guidelines, U.S. law or International treaties, or is legitimate "trolling" please flag the post or contact webmaster@charismamedia.com. Include a link to the comment, along with a statement explaining what you believe the violation is and any evidence backing your claim. Charisma Media moderators will consider your request and decide on the most appropriate action.